Commentary by Michael Wade on Leadership, Ethics, Management, and Life

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

"May I Reword That?" Quiz

This is from a quiz that I use in classes on discretion.The answers are at the bottom of the post.

On some days, life needs a rewind button. Who said the following?

“Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can’t help but cry. I mean I’d love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff."

“Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country.”

Referred to the retirement community of Leisure World as “Seizure World.”

“Everybody knows [Hitler] was good at the beginning but he just went too far.”

“I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies.”

Repeatedly referred to an NAACP audience as “You people.”

“If you’ve seen one slum, you’ve seen them all.”

Told a 13-year-old who expressed interest in being an astronaut, “You’ll have to lose a bit of weight first.”

"I drank a fair amount of Scotch on an empty stomach and a colleague and I ended up dancing on a tabletop to 'She Drives Me Crazy' by the Fine Young Cannibals. For weeks after that, everyone who had been at the party started humming the tune whenever I walked into a room. It was funny but I don't think it did my career any good."

“We have every kind of mix you can have. I have a black, I have a woman, two Jews and a cripple. And we have talent.”

“It’s the most hectic, nerve-racking city. Imagine having to take the [Number] 7 train to the ball park, looking like you’re [riding through] Beirut next to some kid with purple hair…next to some dude who got out of jail for the fourth time right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It’s depressing.”